- Windows 11 24H2 causes a bug that hides the cursor in text fields. apps Chromium like Chrome, Edge, Slack and Spotify.
- The most effective solution is to change the “Select Text” cursor to beam_r.cur and adjust visibility from Accessibility.
- Unchecking “Hide pointer while typing” and keeping your system up to date will reduce the problem until a patch is available.
If you suddenly notice that the pointer disappears just when you need it most, you are not alone: many users experience this The cursor disappears in Chrome or when searching on Spotify., and the behavior can be disconcerting. On some machines, the pointer is only visible while moving; as soon as you leave it still inside the browser window or over a search field, it disappears. The strangest thing is that outside of these apps, everything works normally, so frustration is inevitable.
The mess has been accentuated with the arrival of the big update of Windows 11 24H2The release has brought improvements, but also criticism for various bugs (yes, even blue screenshots). Among those issues is a bug that causes the mouse pointer to not be visible in text boxes in Chromium-based applications such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Slack and Spotify. Although some people have tried everything — uninstalling and reinstalling, disable extensions, use incognito mode, touch acceleration by hardware, activate cursor navigation with F7 and even reset the browser—, the problem persists in many cases.
Why is the pointer hiding in Chrome, Spotify, and other apps?
Several reports point to a bug introduced in the update of Windows 11 24H2 which especially affects applications built on Chromium. The typical symptom is that the pointer remains visible when moving around the screen, but disappears just when interacting with text input fields like the address bar in your browser or the search box in Spotify. In other words, the cursor is there, because you can click and select, but you don't see it.
To top it all off, some users have noticed that the pointer doesn't disappear completely, but rather the system paints it in a different way. white It blends into the background, making it visually invisible. This chameleon effect is noticeable on light themes or white surfaces where the "text selection" cursor should stand out. In fact, forums have seen cases where the text editor's indicator in the browser It hides until you reload the page, which suggests a mix of a system bug and how each app renders the pointer.
It's worth distinguishing this issue from the classic Windows setting called "Hide the pointer while typing." That option also hides the cursor, but only when you're typing; in the 24H2 bug, the pointer can disappear even without writing, just by hovering the mouse over a text field. So, even if you try typical things like F7 (cursor navigation), disable/enable hardware acceleration or disable extensions, the failure may continue as is.
There are also reports in Chromebook: in the Play Store and within many apps Android installed from there, the pointer appears to disappear when entering the windows of those applications. The system still detects the mouse—you can scroll or click “blindly”—but the arrow is not drawn. This relates to how the Android container in ChromeOS handles the pointer, so the problem is similar in form (invisible pointer), but has different causes to the Windows 11 bug.
In the field of possible causes, factors such as: graphics acceleration of the browser, the rendering backend, and the mix of light/dark themes and cursors. However, reinstall touchpad drivers, change to a mouse USB or reinstalling mouse drivers isn't yielding consistent results. In fact, several people have tried uninstalling and reinstalling Chrome, emptying settings, and restarting Windows repeatedly, and the pointer still doesn't display properly in text boxes.
Practical and temporary solutions that do work
Until Microsoft releases a patch (as of today) has not officially recognized the bug, according to some reports), there is a fix that is working for many people: manually changing the cursor associated with “Select Text” to the Windows variant called beam_r.cur. It's a simple workaround that forces a clearly visible cursor glyph in input fields.
Do the following to adjust only the “Select Text” pointer in Windows, without altering the rest of the system cursors. This change helps the indicator become visible again when you hover over a text box:
- Open the Control panel (you can search for it from Home).
- Sign in Hardware and sound and then in Devices and printers; click on Mouse.
- In the Mouse Properties window, go to the tab Pointers.
- In the list of Customize now, select “Select Text” and press Browse.
- Choose the file beam_r.cur (if you don't see extensions, search for it as beam_r) and confirm with Open.
- Apply the changes with Accept and try in Chrome or Spotify.
This setting overwrites only the specific cursor used when hovering over text boxes, preventing the pointer from blending into the background or stopping rendering. When using beam_r.cur, you ensure a cursor design that stands out even on light backgrounds, so the “disappear-you-see” that caused the bug is largely neutralized.
Another check that is worthwhile is to check the box “Hide the pointer while typing”. In Windows 11, you can see it by going to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse settings (this opens the classic panel). On the Pointer options tab, uncheck that box if it's active. While this setting alone doesn't explain all cases of 24H2, sometimes accentuates invisibility in apps that already have the problem.
In case you were trying graphics acceleration: leave it enabled or disabled in Chrome (Settings > System > Use hardware acceleration (when available) does not fix the bug on all computers. But keeping it disabled can minimize side effects on certain computers. drivers and in cases of jerky cursorIf you test this, restart your browser and check the text fields where the cursor disappeared again.
As for the system updates, it's worth checking if there are any pending cumulative patches. Go to Settings > Windows Update and download any available updates. If the issue is unbearable and started just after 24H2, you might consider uninstalling the latest quality update from Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall Updates. Take it easy: this is a temporary measure until an official fix is available, and it's worth weighing its impact on security and stability.
A useful trick to improve visibility is to adjust the color or size of the pointer In Windows: Settings > Ease of Access > Mouse & Pointer. A slightly larger size or high-contrast color may prevent the cursor from getting lost on light backgrounds. You can also turn on a pointer trail (Control Panel > Mouse > Pointer Options > Show Pointer Trail) with a low value so as not to distract but to gain “presence” on the screen.
Considering that many people are suspicious of extensions, it's worth remembering that disabling them all doesn't always change anything, as some users have shown. If you're considering adding a custom cursors extension, pay close attention to the permissions: many require "read and modify your data on all websites", which is a bit excessive for a simple cursor. The most sensible thing to do is avoid them until the system or browser patches the problem.
If the issue affects applications beyond the browser—for example, Excel or other desktop programs—keep in mind that pointer visibility in text controls can be both system- and app-specific. You can try temporarily changing the Windows theme (light/dark) or the tool in question, or change the entire pointer scheme to a high contrast one to see if the cursor becomes visible again on those specific surfaces.
Does it happen to you in editors within the browser, such as forms or web interfaces, where when you answer “the editor cursor disappears” and only returns when you reload the pageThis type of behavior indicates a specific rendering issue with the page or the browser itself. In these cases, try clearing the site's cache, temporarily disabling content blockers on that specific website, and, if possible, updating the editor or trying the classic version (if the service offers that option).
En ChromebookIf the pointer is hidden within Play Store apps but works on the system and in Chrome, it may help to enable accessibility options like "Highlight Cursor" and increase the pointer size. This can be changed from Settings > Accessibility. You may also want to update ChromeOS and restart the Android container by restarting the device or temporarily disabling and re-enabling the Android appsWhile it's not a silver bullet, many users notice improvements in cursor visibility after these steps.
If you've reinstalled touchpad drivers, tried a different USB mouse, and even reinstalled Chrome without success, you're not doing anything "wrong": this bug is resistant to conventional solutions. Since some reports indicate that Microsoft has not yet acknowledged The reasonable thing to do is to rely on the beam_r.cur trick for “Select Text” and the pointer settings until a stable fix is found. It doesn't seem necessary, except in an emergency, to undertake a clean installation of Windows 11 just for this reason.
A note about “normal behavior” that can be confused with the bug: some browsers and editors hide the pointer when you stop moving it inside writing areas to prevent it from covering the text. This is intentional, and the pointer reappears when you move the mouse. The difference with this bug is that here the pointer can remain invisible everything There to remain in the input field, regardless of whether you type or slightly move the mouse.
Finally, if you are working with multiple displays or different scalings, try unifying the scaled (Settings > System > Display) and use standard refresh rates. In multi-monitor setups with unusual combinations, the cursor sometimes experiences minor rendering glitches. This isn't the primary cause of the 24H2 bug, but it can exacerbate it.
As a quick guide, this is what is working best today: 1) Change the cursor from “Select Text” to beam_r.cur; 2) Uncheck “Hide pointer while typing”; 3) Adjust pointer size/contrast or enable smooth trace; 4) Keep Windows and your browser up to date and, if the problem started after 24H2, consider a time reversal from the update until the official patch is available.
With all of the above on the table, the picture is clear: this is a real problem that is affecting users after the Windows 11 24H2 update and that manifests itself mainly in Text input from Chromium applications (Chrome, Edge, Slack, Spotify). While classic attempts (restarts, extensions, incognito, hardware acceleration) don't always fix anything, manually adjusting the text selection cursor and accessibility tweaks They restore visibility in most scenarios, while a definitive solution is awaited.
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